A tragic aviation disaster unfolded early Thursday morning when a Cessna 550 business jet crashed into a San Diego military housing neighborhood, claiming multiple lives and setting several homes and vehicles ablaze.
The crash occurred around 3:45 a.m. near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, according to the San Diego Fire Department.
The private jet, often used for business travel and capable of seating up to 10 people, slammed into residential homes, gouging through walls and spilling jet fuel down the street, igniting an inferno.
“You could barely see in front of you,” said Assistant Fire Chief Dan Eddy, who cited thick fog and poor visibility as major factors at the time of the crash.
Authorities confirmed that all confirmed fatalities so far were aboard the aircraft, but the exact number of people on board is still being verified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Homes in Flames, Street a River of Fire
The scene was described as “horrific” by San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, who said first responders, supported by local residents, rushed to evacuate neighbors and contain the blaze.
“With the jet fuel running down the streets and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see,” Wahl said.
Eyewitness video shared with CNN captured a street fully engulfed in flames, with vehicles on both sides ablaze and their alarms piercing the smoke-filled air.
One resident who spoke anonymously said they were awakened by a massive boom, felt their house shake, and ran outside to find the entire street on fire. He used a garden hose to protect his home before helping police alert neighbors.
Military Families Affected
The crash site lies within one of the world’s largest military housing complexes, according to Captain Robert Heely, Commanding Officer of Naval Base San Diego.
“Certainly we have a lot of military families that are impacted,” Heely said, extending condolences to the families of those who died.
Flight tracking data from FlightAware shows the jet took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey late Wednesday night. It made a brief stop in Wichita, Kansas, before continuing on to San Diego.
Just moments before the crash, the pilot reported being three miles from landing on runway 28 at Montgomery-Gibbs but did not declare an emergency, according to LiveATC.net radio recordings.
Notably, the airport’s control tower is unstaffed at night, leaving pilots to self-announce their positions via the common traffic frequency.
The aircraft, built in 1985 and registered to an Alaska-based company, is now at the center of a joint investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA.
City’s Pledge of Support
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria expressed solidarity with the affected community:
“They are part of a military community that makes up our city… We will support them for as long as it takes to get back to good here.”
Emergency crews remain on scene, and residents in a 3-block radius have been evacuated as a precaution.
